Exhibition

School of Visual Arts (SVA) presents “Defending Dialogue,” an exhibition of work by fourth-year students in the BFA Visual & Critical Studies Department: Alex Belancourt, Luiza Cardenuto, Nina Franzen, Lucia Hinojosa, Ilana Kruger, Hallie Kruger, Betty Laboz, Angela Miskis, Amelia Modlin, Maya Harder-Montoya, George Mott, Lauren O’Neill, William Patterson, Alyssa Rina, Courtney Spieker, Susanna Spieler and Megan Westgate. Curated by art historian and faculty member Isabel Taube, the exhibition will be on view January 5 – February 2 at the Westside Gallery, 133/141 West 21 Street, New York City.

The exhibition exemplifies the diversity of aesthetic and theoretical approaches associated with the department and challenges viewers to think broadly and critically, just as the program requires the students to do. Ranging from multi-screen videos and mixed-media installations to paintings and prints, the pieces employ various strategies: some works are based on actual dialogues (verbal and written); others seek to break down assumptions and invite a critical exchange of ideas through dialogue. The works include censorship, personal and cultural identity, gaming strategy, and memory and forgetting.

The Westside Gallery, located at 133/141 West 21st Street between 6th and 7th Avenues, is open Monday through Friday, 9am to 7pm, and Saturday, 10am to 6pm; closed on Sundays and public holidays. The gallery is accessible by wheelchair. For more information, please call 212.592.2145.

The BFA Visual & Critical Studies Department is a multidisciplinary studio program designed to engage and challenge ambitious students in areas beyond a single medium of expression and creation. This dynamic course of study reflects our rapidly expanding visual culture and the increasing urgency to educate students about all aspects of visual experience. Visual & Critical Studies allows students the opportunity to shape their own multi-dimensional art education through a guided combination of studio courses and academic offerings focusing on myriad forms and venues of contemporary visual life.

School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City is an established leader and innovator in the education of artists. From its inception in 1947, the faculty has been comprised of professionals working in the arts and art-related fields. SVA provides an environment that nurtures creativity, inventiveness and experimentation, enabling students to develop a strong sense of identity and a clear direction of purpose.